At noon, Sister Jun went to deliver lunch. Seeing Wei Qilang's face full of resentment, she had to console him again: "Don't blame my mother. She just wants you to try and... be able to focus on writing your essays."
Her husband lacked self-discipline, and didn't even believe he had any, always finding it hard to sit still.
Wei Qilang still understood what was good for him: "If my mother-in-law weren't doing this for my own good, she wouldn't go to such lengths."
"It's good that you understand. My mother says that even if you resent her for it, she must make you give it your all without holding back this once in your life. Otherwise, when you're older, you'll completely lose the drive. However," Sister Jun said with a smile, "if you truly give your all and still can't pass the exams, and are content to become an official through family connections later, then we can live happily in Bianjing with my parents too."
But Wei Qilang still wanted to strive. His elder brother-in-law had been an official for several years already, and even his younger brother-in-law would take the imperial exams in a couple of years. If he wasn't given a push now, he might really lose that drive in the future.
He also wanted people to see him and call him Jinshi Wei Jun, not Young Master Wei.
Just like Brother Ning—people addressed him by his official title, no one called him Young Master Jiang.
Seeing him like this, Sister Jun felt relieved. Besides her mother and herself ensuring he wouldn't be disturbed, her father and brother spent their days helping him review policy essays and revise poetry. Every night, after handling official business, her father would still correct ten articles, explaining them to him in detail the next morning before going to his yamen.
She could guarantee that even in the Wei household, her parents-in-law weren't this patient and diligent with her husband.
Probably because Meng Sanlang across the street was also preparing for the exams, Sister Jun's interactions with her former classmate, Miss Sun, became much more frequent. They had actually known each other for a long time, but their social circles had differed. Now, living opposite each other with both husbands studying for the exams, they had more topics to discuss.
"You see how carefree you are at your parents' home," Miss Sun teased, watching Sister Jun eat from a jar of candied cherries.
Sister Jun laughed: "My mother gave me one jar and gave one to Jiaojiao. I'm eating this while Jiaojiao isn't here, otherwise she'd want some too, and it's worse for her teeth since she's losing them now."
It was true she felt more at ease in her own home. Actually, even when they returned to the Wei household later, it wouldn't be too restrictive, because her husband, having become a Jinshi on his own merit, would have a voice.
Hearing her say this, Miss Sun just smiled, her smile tinged with envy—a look Sister Jun had seen many people direct at her.
She used to think her own life was quite difficult, but now she felt that everyone had their hardships. She was actually very fortunate.
Her husband's family was originally that of a prime minister. After her father-in-law stepped down, her own father became a high official. Her natal family cared for her meticulously. Who could have a better life than hers? She should cherish her good fortune.
This time, her husband passed the preliminary examination again, and they were nervously preparing for the provincial examination. When he grew tired from studying, her mother would take everyone out to eat, even bringing along her younger sister-in-law, Lu Qionghua, once. That child's eyes grew wide, and she became much livelier standing before her mother.
Speaking of which, she and Miss Sun truly had fate. Their fathers were Jinshi from the same year, their husbands were also Jinshi from the same year, and even when departing for their posts, their directions were roughly the same.
However, their final destinations were different, and everyone had a lot of luggage. Therefore, Sister Jun had Wei Qilang hire a separate large boat. After bidding farewell to her family, they set off for Wu County. Before leaving, her father had even hired two advisors for them—an Accounting Master and a Legal Master—specifically to assist Wei Qilang.
This was her first time away from both sets of parents, solely managing household affairs as a county magistrate's wife. She felt both excited and a little afraid she wouldn't do well.
Thanks to having accompanied her parents on their external postings since childhood, she wasn't afraid of the water. In fact, Wu County was a somewhat familiar place to her. Just after boarding the boat, Sister Jun opened a small bundle her mother had secretly tucked into her belongings. She had refused it, thinking it was money, but her mother insisted it wasn't.
So, she opened it curiously. Indeed, it wasn't money. It was a package of dried tangerine peel, inside which were hidden two small gold tangerines. The dried peel was said to prevent seasickness, and the gold tangerines were for her to play with.
Having grown up this much, she hadn't yet given her parents many days of enjoyment. Yet her mother always remembered what she liked.
Just after finishing lunch at noon, her husband said, "Wife, I really can't use the latrine."
"No choice, you'll just have to make do," Sister Jun raised an eyebrow.
There were few households under heaven with latrines like her family's. That's why the wages for the latrine attendants in the Jiang household were as high as five coins per month, more than the usual pay for menial work.
Unlike the typical experience of men feeling oppressed at their in-laws', her husband felt more at home and comfortable in her family home than in his own. He was the one who received and saw off guests at home, not to mention her mother personally made clothes for him and secretly gave him pocket money, thinking she didn't know.
Then again, besides being a son-in-law, he was also her mother's nephew.
Jiaojiao missed home too, saying, "Grandma promised to make me a butterfly skirt, like the one Mom wore when she was little. Now I won't get that skirt."
"I'll make one for you, okay?" Sister Jun poked her daughter's forehead.
She ran into Miss Sun at the Daming Prefecture ferry crossing. They planned to visit her in-laws when passing through Daming, while Miss Sun was sending someone to buy local products.
"What a coincidence," Sister Jun said with a smile.
Wei Qilang invited the couple to be guests in Daming Prefecture, but Miss Sun declined: "Our journey is even longer than yours. It's better we set off earlier."
"Alright then," Sister Jun nodded.
Then, she heard Miss Sun add, "I heard Jiang Song is also in Pingjiang. Maybe you'll even get to chat when you're there."
Sister Jun thought to herself that would be difficult. There had been some subtle tension between them before; having lived next door, she was aware of it.
Setting that aside for now, the couple first returned to Daming Prefecture, a place holding many memories for them.
"Look at this road. This is where I went to your house every day for the girls' school lessons. After I became class monitor, I had to arrive earliest. My family's carriage driver would take a shortcut from here to go ahead," Sister Jun laughed.
Wei Qilang laughed too.
Arriving home, they hadn't seen Madam Wei for several years. She actually seemed much kinder and gentler. Hearing that her husband had passed the Jinshi exams, her father-in-law's illness had also improved significantly. Although he still needed recuperation, he was much better.
"Seventh Lang's wife, you've really worried and worked hard these past few years," Madam Wei said.
Sister Jun shook her head: "What are you saying? It was all my husband's own diligence."
Madam Wei smiled: "We've troubled your parents greatly."
They only stayed one night before setting off again. This time, the family also selected several capable attendants for them. Her father-in-law even took her husband to the study for a long talk.
Once they set off again, they traveled almost continuously except for making stops for supplies. She believed the most important thing on the journey was everyone's health. Therefore, she had the children eat almost all the tonic foods she had brought, prepared in every way possible. As long as they ate well and slept soundly, there was generally nothing major to worry about.
Thank heavens, they finally arrived safely in Wu County.
As her husband had already passed the Lock Hall Examination—a re-examination for officials seeking the jinshi degree—he was appointed as the County Magistrate right from the start. They soon moved into the county government compound. Sister Jun even made a special trip to see the former County Lieutenant's hall where she had lived as a child.
"Look at this covered corridor in the garden. There used to be so many bugs here, and Brother Ning would stomp on them, one after another."
As the saying goes, officials flow like water while clerks are like iron—they remain. Over the past ten or twenty years, the officials had naturally all moved on, but many of the clerks were still there. Elderly retainers like her own Rong Mama could still recognize a few.
"Jiang Liuniang, it's you! This is our Sister Jun. She's long been married now, and the current County Magistrate is her husband."
Sister Jun had heard her mother mention the name Jiang Liuniang. Jiang Liuniang also vaguely remembered that little girl and hadn't expected her to now be an official's wife. She also took the opportunity to ask about Ruyan.
"Ruyan is traveling around doing business. She's opened several tea houses in Daming Prefecture. We met once when we passed through there," Sister Jun said with a smile.
Because her father had once served as an official here, many of the local clerks and even the gentry outside were familiar with him. The two advisors accompanying them—the Accounting Master and the Legal Master—also proved to be very capable, as expected from her father's choices.
Originally, serving in Wu County should have been smooth sailing. The family could even go out for leisurely strolls during their free time.
But they hadn't expected to encounter Jiang Xian. Wu County shared its location with Pingjiang Prefecture. As the magistrate's wife, she would sometimes go to the prefectural seat. Unexpectedly, the prefecture was hosting a gathering for the wives of officials from the Two Zhe Circuits, and among them was her old acquaintance, Jiang Xian.
Inspector Tang was about the same age as her father and was said to be on the verge of promotion to Transport Commissioner. Jiang Xian, as Madam Tang, though young, was already the wife of a fourth-rank high official. It was said she was deeply favored, so the wives of officials along the route all sought to curry her favor.
Local officials were all like this. Whether they could return to the capital depended on their superiors' evaluations and whether they had connections in the capital.
Sister Jun had thought the little awkwardness between her and Jiang Xian was just a matter of their youth. She hadn't expected Jiang Xian to come with ill intentions.
Upon hearing someone introduce her as the wife of the Wu County Magistrate, Jiang Xian curved her lips into a smile and said first, "We know each other."
But then, after saying something to the person beside her, Sister Jun was clearly given the cold shoulder. Consequently, Wei Qilang, despite being the magistrate of the premier county, also faced repercussions.
Every year, funds were allocated from the prefecture. Wu County usually received the most, but this year, despite increased projects, the funding remained the same.
Sister Jun found out that Jiang Xian had said her father-in-law had been dismissed by the Emperor. Knowing that the Shen faction's people were currently in power, how could the local officials give Wei Qilang a good face?
But Sister Jun encouraged her husband: "The more they do this, the better we must perform. If we have less money, can't we think of other methods?"
Wei Qilang nodded. He first tried to mobilize merchants to donate. He thought it would go smoothly with the Gu family taking the lead, but the merchants all had their own reservations. The Gu family was only willing to contribute money because of their parents' old friendship.
Thus, they could only scale back their plans. Wei Qilang remembered how both his father-in-law and his own father had irrigated wasteland to generate profits for the imperial treasury. However, Suzhou was different from Luoyang. This area was already prosperous, densely populated, and people were very skilled at farming. He felt somewhat defeated.
Sister Jun was also anxious and followed the matters closely. But as she involved herself more, Wei Qilang grew frustrated, and the couple inevitably quarreled a few times.
Both were children of privilege. Their fathers were officials, their mothers were astute. Often, when something came up, they didn't even need to lift a finger before their parents had already handled it. Now, when it was completely up to them, they realized how remarkable their parents truly were.
After all, back then, her father had no background but strove desperately for merit. Her mother helped by expanding diplomatic ties among wives, using a Guanyin statue to befriend the Shen and Wei families.
Sister Jun urgently asked Rong Mama, "What did my mother do back when my father's career wasn't going smoothly?"
Rong Mama thought for a moment: "She didn't do anything particularly special. The master always handled external affairs, while the mistress managed the shops and took care of the household."
"No, that's not all. My mother did many things," Sister Jun said, remembering how when she attended school at the Wei family, it was her mother who proactively sought kinship with them. Otherwise, this marriage would not have happened later.
These things were done subtly, like gentle rain moistening the earth. She re-examined her own actions as she used to do as a child and felt she had been too hasty.
Just as she was thinking this, Wei Qilang came in, bringing her favorite Eight-Treasure Duck from outside. Her husband offered an olive branch, and she accepted it, saying, "I imagine it hasn't been easy for you either. I was too impatient."
"Please, don't say that. You did it for my sake," Wei Qilang said with a smile.
Sister Jun felt her husband had a very good temperament. At least, busy and troubled as he was, he still remembered to specifically make peace with her.
The couple reconciled. Sister Jun advised her husband to take it slow. She would first take people to inspect Manager Yao's inn. When you don't know how to move forward, sometimes you need to change your approach.
They first made a discreet visit to Manager Yao's establishment. She hadn't expected the place to be quite large and to have a good reputation. Called an inn, it was more like a restaurant and had obtained a license to sell alcohol, making it a proper establishment, though it also functioned as an inn.
For such a business to only pay a little over a thousand taels a year to her mother seemed somewhat inappropriate, didn't it?
But whether it was appropriate or not wasn't ultimately for her to decide. Sister Jun had no choice but to first write a letter back to Bianjing.
At the same time, after returning home, she told Wei Qilang about the origins of this inn. Suddenly, Wei Qilang smiled and said, "Actually, this might be a good method. I remember there's a patch of wasteland by the river. It's too prone to flooding for paddy fields. Why not turn it into an official inn? I can take the lead, put it up for contracted management, get the warehouse license approved, have soldiers patrol more frequently—it could be a source of income."
Sister Jun smiled and said, "Good. No matter what, I support you."
Her husband was full of drive, and Sister Jun supported him from behind. She said, "When I was little and my mother asked me to host a banquet, she would always have me write everything down first. I think if you want to persuade those merchants, you must perfect every detail."
"You're right, my dear. Why don't you write a draft, and we can discuss it together," Wei Qilang said.
Sister Jun nodded emphatically. She herself wasn't clear on how to run a warehouse, but her mother received dividends from one. The owner she knew, Xu Miao, was a major merchant. So, she wrote a letter asking Xu Miao for his experience.
Unexpectedly, Xu Miao came in person. Sister Jun quickly produced a plan. It covered everything from the major aspects like site selection and arrangement down to the minor details of personnel management, how to set fees according to Pingjiang's prices, and potential profits.
When this plan was written out, even Wei Qilang was astonished: "My lady, you are truly remarkable."
"Take it first to see if any changes are needed. You must familiarize yourself with it. Only then can you persuade others." Sister Jun thought to herself that indeed, being anxious was useless; she had to use her own methods and proceed slowly.
Wei Qilang quickly gathered the local merchants and explained his idea: the government would hold a five-tenths share, with the remaining five-tenths available for merchants to bid on. Relying on Sister Jun's proposal, he successfully obtained the construction method for the warehouse. He would first raise funds to complete half of it. After finishing that and earning profits, he would then build the rest.
By the end of the year, when these matters were nearly settled, Wei Qilang read the official gazette and specifically showed it to Sister Jun. It turned out her father was now the Chief Councillor.
Yet, the couple had resolved their official duties using their own methods. Now that they had such a powerful backing, they instead felt it was better to rely on themselves.
So this was the feeling of self-reliance—doing things personally, earning greater recognition from others.
At this time, it was everyone else who now vied to befriend Sister Jun. Now, Sister Jun could remain unperturbed by honor or disgrace.
As for Inspector Tang, although his official reputation was originally good, because of Jiang Song's connection, he was targeted by Jiang Xian. Forget promotion; as long as Jiang Xian remained in office, good postings would likely never come his way.
Jiang Song dared not say it was because of her. She had originally married Ke Erlang, but that man was clearly unfavored and utterly obedient to his mother. The whole family had been after her dowry, everyone trying to take advantage of her. Fortunately, her mother had advised her to feign madness, allowing her to finally leave the Ke family and marry Inspector Tang.
Although Inspector Tang was somewhat older, he was dignified and impressive, possessing his own air of authority. She was also deeply cherished by him. Their marital intimacy was harmonious and pleasurable.
She simply couldn't bear the good fortune of Jiang Jun (Sister Jun)—Wei Qilang had actually passed the imperial examination. She hadn't even said anything, yet her husband's promotion was now hindered.
She truly felt like crying but had no tears.
Inspector Tang was still unaware of all this and even said to her: "I've heard the county magistrate of Wu County under our jurisdiction is the son-in-law of Chief Councillor Jiang. We must try to win him over."
Jiang Song could only stiffly agree.
Sister Jun, for her part, was thoroughly pleased. Wei Qilang had originally lacked experience, but now, after achieving some success, he became even more capable. How could this not delight her as his wife?
Meanwhile, the following spring, her mother sent Ding Ge'er, who was traveling for studies, to handle the matter with Shopkeeper Yao. Ding Ge'er wore a sapphire-blue robe with roundel patterns and a fitted waist, a green jade crown on his head, and a cyan sweat towel tucked at his waist. He was as radiant as a jade mountain, exceedingly handsome.
"Why did you come?" Sister Jun asked, surprised.
Ding Ge'er smiled: "Right now, I'm the only idler in the family. If not your younger brother, then who? To avoid suspicion, Big Brother has already requested an external posting and gone to serve in Xiangzhou Prefecture. Mother was afraid the stewards at home wouldn't handle it well, so she specifically sent me."
Sister Jun looked at her brother suspiciously: "You... can you manage it?"
"Brother passed the imperial examination at seventeen. Although I'm only fifteen now, since Mother entrusted this task to me, it means she trusts me." Ding Ge'er fanned himself with a folding fan, looking utterly composed.
Her little brother, once called "Snow Child" and doted on by the whole family, was now out handling affairs. Though worried, Sister Jun had no choice but to send people to accompany him.
Wei Qilang, meanwhile, wondered why the Jiang family's children were all so outstanding. Their family specifically gave them opportunities to gain experience, unafraid of letting them face wind and rain.
Like Brother Ning, who tested into the prefectural school and the National Academy, served as dormitory and section head, and was actively involved in resolving family land disputes—they weren't raised as hothouse flowers.
Little did they know that upon arrival, Ding Ge'er didn't first go to the inn. Instead, he wandered all over the city, buying whatever he saw. Jiao Jiao and Shi Ge'er were overjoyed, as everything he bought was for them.
"You really are something. How much money did you bring, spending so recklessly?" Sister Jun knew her brother's monthly allowance at home was only two strings of cash.
Ding Ge'er laughed: "Sister, don't worry about it. It's not worth much silver anyway. Tomorrow I'll first go see our estate. I've never been there before."
Previously, Sister Jun only knew Brother Ning was a capable doer. She hadn't expected this fair-faced Ding Ge'er to be shrewd underneath. On the surface, he was playing around all over Pingjiang. In reality, he had long been making inquiries everywhere. He even feinted by first going to the estate. The current estate manager, Fan Dalang, hurriedly welcomed the young master. Ding Ge'er actually only stayed one night before heading to the inn.
After meeting Shopkeeper Yao, Ding Ge'er put on the act of a well-behaved scholar, even blushing slightly as he said, "Mother sent me to check the accounts."
Seeing he was just a wet-behind-the-ears kid, Shopkeeper Yao naturally thought he'd be easy to fool. Ding Ge'er stayed at the inn for ten days, each day just eating, drinking, and looking over the account books. The inn also had literati and scholars, and he even joined them in composing poetry, which further deepened Shopkeeper Yao's contempt.
However, after ten days passed, a major merchant from the county came to take over directly. Shopkeeper Yao, baffled, asked Ding Ge'er: "What's going on? Out of the blue, someone says our shop has been sold?"
"Uncle Yao, I've been here ten days. Every day, besides lodging and stock, even counting the wine, your daily turnover is at least sixty strings. That's nearly twenty thousand strings a year. Even if costs are fifteen thousand strings, you should have at least five thousand strings profit. Yet you only hand over one thousand strings to my mother each year. That means you've been embezzling. Don't forget, you only got the official liquor franchise because of our family. How should I deal with a parasite like you?"
"The law of this dynasty states that for theft, if the total value of stolen goods reaches five strings, the punishment is death. Even if less than five strings, it's twenty strokes of the spine rod and three years of penal servitude.
You've embezzled so much. Your end is death."
Shopkeeper Yao feigned composure: "You're lying—"
"Lying? The signed and fingerprinted testimonies of over twenty people from this shop are already prepared. Bailiffs are outside. I've also had your son watched. Don't expect your family to fare well after you're gone." Ding Ge'er sneered.
Only then did Shopkeeper Yao break down in tears and admit his wrongdoing. Ding Ge'er smiled: "I could spare your family—after all, they've had it hard too. But you must return all the embezzled funds from over the years."
...
Sister Jun saw that Ding Ge'er not only forced Shopkeeper Yao to disgorge all the money embezzled over the years but also, in turn, sent him and his family to receive the rod and be exiled to a miasmal region.
"Won't you be too..." Sister Jun wanted to say he was too harsh.
But Ding Ge'er just smiled: "I merely spared him death; I didn't let him off easy. Alright, sister, I plan to return tomorrow. The Imperial College has much coursework; I can't stay away too long. Besides, I'm the only one left by Father and Mother's side now."
Sister Jun was momentarily stunned, but her brother had already left.
The next day, the couple saw Ding Ge'er off onto the boat. Wei Qilang smiled and said, "That child told me he heard nothing but good reports of me all over Wu County, and he'll tell your father and mother when he returns."
Sister Jun thought to herself that although Wei Qilang had indeed done some good deeds, his reputation surely wasn't that lofty yet. This Brother Ding, despite his young age, was quite the cunning one.
But really, who did this child take after?
Shaking her head, Sister Jun then linked arms with her husband and walked back bathed in the morning sunlight. This spring scenery was truly wonderful!
